October 6, 1970 Mrs. Elaine Eklund 2449 Ousdahl Road Lawrence, Kansas 66044 Dear Mrs. Eklund: This will acknowledge and thank you for your letter of September 25 urging my support of H.J. Res. 264, the equal rights amendment, without any changes. The Senate Judiciary Committee has held hearings on H.J. Res. 264, and a similar measure, S.J. Res. 61, as well as S.J. Res. 231, which differs considerably from the other two measures. To date, no further action has been scheduled on these bills, and at this time, it is difficult to predict what form the bill will take when it is finally reported out by the Committee. This issue is expected to reach the Senate Floor before adjournment, and will certainly keep your views in mind when the time comes for me to case my vote on this particular legislation. Thank you for your letter, and please let me know if I may be of further assistance in any way. Sincerely yours, BOB DOLE U.S. Senate BD:mfb September 25, 1970 The Hon. Senator Robert Dole Senate Office Building Washington, D. C. Dear Senator Dole: I would like to urge your support of, and vote for, the 26th Amendment, H.J. Res. 264, as follows: "Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." Further amendment to the resolution is unnecessary if women are indeed considered people, and not "just women." I have found that my income cannot be considered in its entirety in applying for a home loan from the Veterans Administration because I happen to be of childbearing age and, based on statistics of other women in the same age bracket, it is predicted that I will leave my career one day to rear a family no matter what I say now. As a professional person with a master's degree I find this insulting to my intelligence and to my sense of responsibility, particularly in view of the number of methods of birth control available and the more intelligent laws concerning abortion recently enacted in Kansas and other states. I hope that you will find, as I have, that this Amendment should be adopted. Despite claims to the contrary I do not feel that equal rights under the law will compel anyone to do that which they do not choose to do, with the possible exception of those things which are the responsibilities that inevitably accompany freedom. Sincerely, (signature) (Mrs.) Elaine Eklund 2449 Ousdahl Road Lawrence, Kansas 66044 September 29, 1970 Miss Jonnie Kay Kendall Box 169 Rural Route 1 Williamsburg, Kansas 66095 Dear Jonnie: This will acknowledge and thank you for your letter of September 23, expressing your views in opposition to the proposed Amendment to the Constitution which would provide Equal Rights for Women. H. J. Res. 264, which incorporates this amendment, recently passed the House of Representatives and in now on the Senate Calendar awaiting floor action. The Senate version of the proposal, S.J. Res. 61, and the Ervin Amendment, S. J. Res.23311 are pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee. There has been considerable support for this measure from many women's blubs and businesswomen, and the majority seem primarily concerned with the "equal pay for equal work" portion of the amendment. Thank you again for writing, and you may be assured your views will be kept in mind as this legislation is considered on the Senate Floor. If I may be of assistance to you in any way, please contact me. Sincerely yours, BOB DOLE U.S. Senate BD/jbh Handwritten note: Sept. 23, 1970 Hon. Robert J. Dole United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Sir: I wish you would vote against Resolution 809. My reasons for wanting you to vote against it are as follows. 1. Men have worked hard to give women a good life, and I feel that the women of America have the best life that any woman, anytime, or any place has had. 2. I agree that women should have equal opportunity and wages, but this bill is too broad. 3. We are freer now. So please don't change now. So when Resolution 809 comes before the Senate PLEASE vote against it. Thank you very much. (signature) Jonnie Kay Kendall September 10, 1970 M's. Kathleen M. R. Burrows 642 North Hillside Wichita, Kansas 67214 Dear M's. Burrows: This will acknowledge and thank you for your letter of September 3, expressing your support for the proposed Amendment to the Constitution which would provide Equal Rights for Women. As you may know, H. J. Res. 264, incorporating the equal rights amendment, recently passed the House of Representatives, and is currently pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee. A similar proposal, 8. J. Res. 61, is also pending before the committee, with hearings scheduled sometime in September. There has been considerable support for this measure from many women's clubs and businesswomen, and the majority seem primarily concerned with the "equal pay for equal work" portion of the amendment. Thank you again for writing, and you may be assured your views will be kept in mind in the event this proposal is brought to the Senate Floor for a vote. If I may be of assistance to you in any way, please contact me. Sincerely yours, BOB DOLE U.S. Senate BD/jbh September 3, 1970 The Honorable Robert Dole Room 2327 New Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. Dear Senator Dole: As one of your constituents, I am writing to express my opinion of the need for your endorsing the Bill currently under consideration by the Senate on equal pay for women. As a working woman, tax payer, voter and unmarried head of a household I am naturally interested in this piece of legislation. It has my total heart-felt support. On a recent local TV panel show discussing the issues of Women's Liberation it was the consensus of the women there, including the housewives who had no intention of working, that women deserve equal pay for equal work and an end to sex discrimination on jobs, with free access to the prestige and decision making powers now predominantly held by men. This is also the overwhelming opinion of the hundreds of people I know at W.S.U., at church, on the job and as friends and relatives. Surely you are aware that one-third of the work force of the U.S is female, and that 42 per cent of women who work do so for stringent monetary reasons. Also that 10 per cent of working women are, like myself, heads of households. We women pay the same bills and taxes as men and I have confidence that our Congress can retain or amplify any needed protective legislation necessary to insure the rights of any disadvantaged person, regardless of age, color or sex. Thank you for your consideration of my viewpoints in this matter. Sincerely, (signature) Kathleen M.R. Burrows 642 North Hillside Wichita, Kansas 67214